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new BWF skirts requirement

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A new ruling that requires female badminton players to wear skirts on court is causing unease among players as they prepare to adopt the new compulsory dress code.
The Indian Open, which begins next Tuesday, will be the last tournament in which women can wear shorts on court before the skirt requirement comes into force on May 1.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced the change in 2009 in a bid to boost the sport's profile among viewers and sponsors.
Doubles specialist and Indian glamour girl Jwala Gutta, who has always played in skirts, said the new dress code might help to raise interest but players should not be forced to conform.
"You cannot make it compulsory for everyone to wear skirts. It depends on each individual and their comfortable level. I am not sure people will like being told what to wear and what not to," she said.
World number three Saina Nehwal, the top seed at the April 26-May 1 Indian Open, is one of the many players in India who prefers to wear shorts on court.
Gutta, who won the Commonwealth Games gold last year with her partner Ashwini Ponnapa, endorsed efforts to make the sport more glamorous.
She said that interest in tennis was greater partly because of the attraction of female stars such as Maria Sharapova or the Williams sisters, whose on-court outfits are often as remarked about as their game.
India's top female tennis player Sania Mirza came under fire from Muslim clerics four years back for wearing short skirts on court.
"Anything that helps makes the sport attractive should be welcomed," said the 27-year-old Gutta, whose eye-catching looks and daring dress sense on and off court have won her a loyal following at home.
"But instead of enforcing rules on players, the federation should ask sponsors to come up with innovative dresses.
"You can add a lot of colour, experiment with styling and stuff like that. That way it will ensure players' comfort and take care of the glamour aspect as well."
Another Indian player, who asked not to be named, said she was uncomfortable with the new ruling.
"I wear skirts or dresses only on special occasions, but never in tournaments," she said. "Skirts hamper my movement when I play."
Despite rapid modernisation, India remains a generally conservative country where public displays of sexuality are taboo and women are expected to dress modestly.

Another Indian player, who asked not to be named, said she was uncomfortable with the new ruling.
"I wear skirts or dresses only on special occasions, but never in tournaments," she said. "Skirts hamper my movement when I play."

"Despite rapid modernisation, India remains a generally conservative country where public displays of sexuality are taboo and women are expected to dress modestly". Ironic considering India being the source of the Kama Sutra.

Depends on the skirts. With the use of spandex shorts underneath, the skirts themselves can loose enough for easy movement. Older style skirts did hamper movement though.

does that mean the shorter the better , lol !

some of those badminton skirt out in the market does hamper movement, but there are some that are lighter , more flex and more lose like those one in tennis which is ok (but there will be lots of spandex to be seen or whatever the player wear underneath !!).

I dont know why they change the rule , this is sexism. how it is going to make the game more attractive, I have no idea , this is not going to change the badminton fans to be more interested in L/S AND L/D by no means.

some of those badminton skirt out in the market does hamper movement, but there are some that are lighter , more flex and more lose like those one in tennis which is ok (but there will be lots of spandex to be seen or whatever the player wear underneath !!).

I dont know why they change the rule , this is sexism. how it is going to make the game more attractive, I have no idea , this is not going to change the badminton fans to be more interested in L/S AND L/D by no means.

Agreed but... no more than is shown in tennis or many olympic sports. Many track stars are wearing very short, very tight spandex only now... don't get me started on speed skating where the outfit covers the entire body but leaves nothing to the imagination...

Honestly? I prefer watching womens tennis over mens, mainly due to the diversity in players but the short skirts don't hurt... same with womens golf (although they are allowed to wear shorts).

I am strongly against this. Women's exploitation just to add extra interest to the sport. It's BS tbh. They shouldn't force any such rule. if women want to play in shorts, let them. It's classier that way anyway, and less misogynistic. Not that I have anything against skirts, hell I'm not going to lie, I'll be paying attention lol. But I'm all about freedom of choice, and forcing one or the other is a big step back and makes badminton appear cheap and desperate.

I am strongly against this. Women's exploitation just to add extra interest to the sport. It's BS tbh. They shouldn't force any such rule. if women want to play in shorts, let them. It's classier that way anyway, and less misogynistic. Not that I have anything against skirts, hell I'm not going to lie, I'll be paying attention lol. But I'm all about freedom of choice, and forcing one or the other is a big step back and makes badminton appear cheap and desperate.

Honestly, I don't really care either way but I don't know why you would consider shorts "classier". The root word being "classic" and since women used to play wearing long dresses, skirts would actually be more classic unless you're referring to the amount of leg shown which in reality is not much different from shorts.

Guys, reality is that they aren't doing this for the asian market, they are trying to attract the north american and european markets. I'm not saying it's going to work or not but it's basic marketing.

Rules on what to wear are nothing new, regardless of the sport. Wimbledon still requires that the clothing be mostly white, mens golf does not allow shorts (although womens does and caddies can wear them).

Honestly, I don't really care either way but I don't know why you would consider shorts "classier". The root word being "classic" and since women used to play wearing long dresses, skirts would actually be more classic unless you're referring to the amount of leg shown which in reality is not much different from shorts.

Guys, reality is that they aren't doing this for the asian market, they are trying to attract the north american and european markets. I'm not saying it's going to work or not but it's basic marketing.

Rules on what to wear are nothing new, regardless of the sport. Wimbledon still requires that the clothing be mostly white, mens golf does not allow shorts (although womens does and caddies can wear them).

Only time will tell whether this ploy works or not.

i don't think the issue here is whether it works. it may probably work, as you mentioned, to attract some viewers. the issue is that this is almost exploiting the ladies by forcing them to wear dress in order to make the sport look more attractive. that's the part which i have problem with.

Honestly, I don't really care either way but I don't know why you would consider shorts "classier". The root word being "classic" and since women used to play wearing long dresses, skirts would actually be more classic unless you're referring to the amount of leg shown which in reality is not much different from shorts.

Guys, reality is that they aren't doing this for the asian market, they are trying to attract the north american and european markets. I'm not saying it's going to work or not but it's basic marketing.

Rules on what to wear are nothing new, regardless of the sport. Wimbledon still requires that the clothing be mostly white, mens golf does not allow shorts (although womens does and caddies can wear them).

Only time will tell whether this ploy works or not.

Sorry I think you misunderstood, or my explanation was bad. I'm not saying shorts are classier than skirts (traditionally skirts are actually classier). Just saying it's classier to give women the choice instead of forcing it upon them.